Samantha

I'm celebrating Samantha because she has put an exorbitant amount of work into herself and this program. She and I were on the streets together for over 20 years. And I watched her come in, get motivated, and decide she wanted something different for her life. She's put the work in: on her recovery, on her job, on changing her life and taking care of her bills and responsibilities, getting her past cleaned up, her credit in a good place. She has stepped into this 100%. She got where I wanted her to be.

There's something so emotional and beautiful about being out there on the streets together, just trying to survive...and then you come in here and get to watch each other thrive. She hasn't side stepped a thing. Just picks it up as it comes, leans on the community, and does all the things she's supposed to do. And she does a lot of service work with the homeless and with animal shelters. She's really deeply involved and gives back. She's just amazing and I'm so proud of her. And I'm excited that I get to be with her on this side of things, too.

Diana

2023 Graduate

Stephanie

I celebrate all the women because we could all still be out there if it weren't for this program - but I'm especially proud of Stephanie. All of us, when we first come into the program, can be standoff-ish. But Stephanie has grown out of that to come so far. She's become so mature and has confidence. She's got her children in her life and is back in touch with her Mama. She's working full time and just got a car.

I could cry every time I talk about these things because it's so heartwarming. To know we all came from a similar place and now they're making it. Making it through two years when it doesn't feel like there's any way you can make it through two whole years when you first get here. But as you go along, it gets easier. As you hit milestones, it gets easier. And I love Stephanie so much because she's done it - she's doing it. I see the woman in her now and its wonderful.

Val

2020 Graduate

Chanda

I celebrate Chanda because she is a soul you can pour your heart into, and she has so much compassion. Chanda has shown me that the amount of time spent in recovery does not equate maturity, because she came into the program with a super-power level of strength and emotional regulation, and the realistic courage to admit and defeat her old destructive and self-limiting patterns.

She is so down to earth and wants to grow. And she is doing the work to combat those inner-core beliefs that, in her past, had held her back from the wonderment of her own self-discovery and the revelations of a new life to be lived. I'm grateful for Chanda- she is SO beautiful, inside and out. I'm both lucky and blessed to have her in what I consider my circle of friends and this Thistle Farms sisterhood.

Amalia

2023 Graduate

Diane

I'm so grateful to have Diane on this side. She deserves to be on this side. We go a long way back, and I know her struggle was long and her struggle was real. One of the benefits that I discovered that was healthy and helpful for me was to reach back and get somebody that I know had been through the struggle that I had just come out of to try to pull a sister up. Diane was one who took hold and came through.

She's a great person who has a great family and a lot of love to give - and she means a lot to them and me. So, to see her back in the fold of prosperity, living good, having good thoughts, and making good decisions? It's a blessing to see. She could have chosen to do anything else other than join us up on this side, but she made the right decision to do the right thing, and she's a better person for it. I'm so proud of her strength and determination to get her life back.

Brenda

2016 Graduate

Lolita

I'm extremely excited and oh so very proud to have watched Lolita's transformation since joining the program. This is not our first round of running into each other here in Nashville. We ran the same streets together in Knoxville and at a dark time in my life, Lolita was there for me.

Even back then I knew she was strong and had some fight in her, and I know she isn't going to look back. She's going to keep going forward. I just smile when I think of her smile - it's one I've never forgotten and I'm so blessed to see her shine even brighter now. I'm honored to call her my sister, but now she's also my sister for life.

Christy

2015 Graduate

Stacy

I celebrate Stacy because she is a beautiful, strong, resilient, capable, educated force to be reckoned with. She is a sister and friend who I've always admired in the past and the present. She has truly worked through many of her issues and shined brightly at being with her sisters and in her community.

Stacy has always spoken up and stood up for herself, and its beautiful to see her realize she's always had what it takes to get herself to her finish line. She's completing this program and college, and it's all just the beginning. Hold your head up. Keep believing in you. Favor ain't fair, but you are beautiful, smart, and kind. We always have each other to help one another get through. I'll never stop cheering for you.

Angela

2006 Graduate

Jessica

I met Jessica one morning when I was picking up some women from one of the residential homes for work, and she was fast walking to exercise, which she did every morning. I thought to myself that she had some real determination, and as I got to know Jessica and her story, my admiration only grew. She came into this program with goals, and I feel so blessed to be able to watch her reach every goal she sets her mind to.

From the beginning, she didn't let her past define her or predict her future. Jessica works hard on her recovery and now works in a field where she can share her experience, strength, and hope with others who are where she once was. She reaches back and stays connected with her Thistle Farms community, building and being a support system for herself and others. I am so very grateful to call her family and am beyond excited to celebrate Graduation with her. I look forward to all of the other celebrations I know I will have with my sister for life, Jessica!

Diana

2023 Graduate

Jennifer

Jennifer - Jenny K to me - is my little baby cousin. And let me tell you, she's overcome so many obstacles and losses in her life. I watched her go out there in so much pain, thinking that using was the answer. But then she found out that that's not it because that only takes you lower. She realized she has a whole family, people that love her, that are praying for her, and that she needed to pick herself up. And here she is. She has come through.

Like I've shared with so many of my sisters, we get to be the key. When we turn it around, we get to be the key. And that's exactly who Jenny K is to the family, to her sisters, to her daughters, to the people down home and up here, to her friends. They're all seeing her do this thing. When she came in, I watched her. I saw the brokenness and we were all praying. And so was she. She kept on saying, "By God's strength, I got it. I'm gonna do this." And that's what she's done - she's being the light. And I am so proud of her.

Regina

1999 Graduate

Stacy

Stacy has blossomed like a flower since she came to the program. She's quiet, but I've been able to watch her grow and come out of her shell. I feel like when she first came in, she was timid and didn't think she had a voice because of things that have happened to her in the past. But she's found it now and I've loved to watch her learn to advocate for herself. Plus, once she gets to know you, she's a talker...and she is really, really funny!

She's done so much since coming into the program because when she sets her mind on something she's going to do, she does it. She's completed parole and is furthering her education. I'm excited to see what her next steps are in life and where she takes her education. Stacy works hard and is someone I know I can rely on not just as a coworker, but as a friend. I'm really, really proud of her.

Kristy

2024 Graduate

Shawna

I'm so proud of Shawna for all of her accomplishments over the past two years. I've seen her really step up to the plate in the program and do the work. That's all because she finally chose herself. She got custody of her children, got her license and a car, got a place to live for her kids - she's an amazing mother. And doing all of that while completing the program isn't easy. This work isn't for whimps, but Shawna is so strong. 

I'm excited to see where she goes in the future, cause she's full of surprises. She wants to open a bakery, and I know how determined she is and that she's an amazing worker, so I know it will happen. I want to see her really go for her dreams, because whatever she does next? It's gonna be something good.

Kristy

2024 Graduate